The End of the Month
by Scarper
Summary: Even shinigami have some moments of sadness, and Grell just happens to be very good at catching Will when he's having one. WillxGrell fluff.


A/N/N/N: A little pointless WillxGrell drabble. I just felt he needed some literary love. ^w^

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The End of the Month

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William T. Spears fingered the edge of a well marked page with distaste, eyeing his personal calendar. This time of year always irritated him beyond belief, partly because the snow had a way of slowing work down and providing him with twice as much of a chance of overtime, and partly because he had no idea what to do with himself. It was on one of these rare and dreaded occasions, on one of the few paid vacation days he was forced into taking that he found himself perched against a convenient chimmney, watching the passersby far below him and flipping through his binder aimlessly as though pretending to work.

He let the book fall closed, leaning back against the reassuringly cold brick and shutting his eyes. The silence was, for the most, extremely peaceful - free of gender-confused co-workers and irksome rookies who didn't seem to understand the phrase "No, Knox, you absolutely may not under any circumstances attempt to pick up women while on duty," and large stacks of paperwork that really did need to be filled out. He allowed himself to waste another four and a quarter minutes mentally berating Grell Sutcliff for suggesting the paid vacation day to his superiors - though he highly suspected it had been a bit more demanding than suggesting.

Opening his eyes, he scanned the slushy London street below, his eyes following a few random carriages and hazarding guesses at the occupants before they stepped out onto the icy pavement. He had always found people-watching a mildly entertaining pastime, as unnexpected as it seemed from someone like him, because it was a distraction from the empty pointlessness he found himself unable to escape in his own life.

He couldn't deny that he envied the brief existence of the creatures passing below him, their small worlds filled with a fake happiness he would never admit to longing for, a small and ignorant bubble of peace that was as worthless as it was easily shattered. _Better brief, beautiful, and broken, though, than almost nonexistent and unending. _

They were lucky, far luckier than they had a right to be, following the laws of their world unconciously and moving onward without the expectation that they would return to live the ridiculously long life of a death god, judging and escorting souls that stood on the same threshold the shinigami once had. They were lucky, lucky for possessing such frail forms that they could choose themselves if they wished to end their brief existence... why, even a small drop like the one from the roof he sat on to the street... it was truly laughable.

The immaculate stacks of papers, hours of perfectly executed work, regulations followed to the last letter - they all were somehow so pale when he watched families pull their laughing children from the carriages and sweep them out of the cold into a warm house, their smiles nearly as warm as the light spilling from the windows. William couldn't remember the last time he'd made someone smile on purpose - being accidentally amusing wasn't really something he considered a talent of his. _Really_, he thought indignantly, _how else is one expected to react when you discover your office plastered with -_

Ah. That unpleasant aura was unmistakeable. His sharp eyes snapped onto the carriage on the side of the street nearest to him, following the sweep of the door as it opened and the vile creature that exited in a disgustingly graceful manner, sweeping a gloved hand out to assist his master and adjusting the folds of his coat in an almost caring gesture, on hand remaining on the Earl's shoulder as the butler escorted his master into a one of the countless shops below them.

"Mmm, isn't Sebas-chan mouthwatering, Will?" crooned a horrifically familiar voice behind him as what appeared to be several tons of red hair and coat flung themselves around him, knocking his glasses neatly askew. "Even you can't resist admiring him in action, can you?~"

"Your stalking habits are as irritating as always, Sutcliff, and your dreadful public conduct is grounds for a pay cut." William straightened his glasses and overcoat, edging out of the ridiculously tight embrace the other reaper had forced upon him.

"Ahn~ love is so cruel, Will! Are you really that jealous that I was watching him instead of you?"

William coughed quietly. He wasn't feeling particularly qualified to respond to that at the moment. _Actually,_ he thought silently, _if I was to be jealous of that filthy demon for anything it would not be because he is so easily able to draw your attentions away from work, from seriousness, from... well, me... _

Mentally, he berated himself for that last thought. It was as stupid an idea that he had a chance at holding Grell's attentions, or even, for that matter, a reason he would want to do so as it was to resent the fact that the wretched demon had someone near to him to care for, whatever reason he had for doing so... just like the rest of countless families and couple that had passed below him that day.

"Will...?" The red headed shinigami nuzzled relentlessly into his shoulder, leaning against him. "You should take vacation days more often, you're so nice when you're all mellow like this..."

William didn't really enjoy having a large amount of red draped affectionately over him in public, or for that matter, anywhere else... But he found himself somehow too exhausted to waste the energy in pushing him away yet again. As annoying as Grell Sutcliff was, his habit of showing up right when Will had no idea what to do with himself was almost comforting. Bickering pointlessly with him was an utter waste of time, but certainly less of a waste than thinking about his own feelings and mulling over other such philosophical concepts he really had no use for. As much as he hated to admit it, he was happy to see him.

"Where shall we go, then?" He stood, shrugging off Grell's arms and slipping his binder back under his overcoat as he turned away from the edge of the rooftop.

"What?" For a moment, Grell looked dumbfounded. It was a brief moment, followed by squeals and another painful grab. "Do you really mean it, Will? A whole day with you?"

"It appears I have nothing better to do, and seeing as it's your fault I've been banned from the office until I've taken a vacation day, it seems fitting you ought to at the very least -"

"Oh, Will,~" Grell sang happily, catching his hands and dragging him in a circle across the roof. "I knew you couldn't resist me!"

William eyed Grell with a quiet sigh, allowing himself to be pulled along from one roof to the next, down through the slowly emptying streets as the sun fell in the already darkened winter sky. His co-worker's personality was tiresomely bright, and the laughter and senseless babbling overly cheery, but still...

"What are you smiling for?" He muttered quietly, instantly wishing he could bite the words back as soon as they left his mouth.

Grell paused, spinning around with an expression that almost convincingly imitated seriousness. "Because you're here, and I get to spend the day with you."

"So I'm making you smile?" Again, he desperately wished he could have bitten his tongue.

The cackles his question was greeted with were enough of an answer. Adjusting his glasses, William looked away. It was days like this that he really, really hated. Days when he couldn't resist asking.

_Regrets, envy, sadness... even lonliness... must be settled by the end of the month._

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_Aw, Will.. X3_

_I know it's just silly fluffage, but it made me smile. Hope it made you guys smile too!~_


End file.
